This invention relates to an apparatus and methods for producing ceramic products such as silicon carbide or silicon nitride.
Various ceramic powders, such as silicon carbide and silicon nitride, are useful in the fabrication of highly stressed, wear resistant ceramic parts, such as those employed in heat engines, turbo-charger rotors and heat exchangers. Although synthesis techniques involving plasma and laser heating of gaseous reactants have successfully produced ceramic powders, it would be desirable to synthesize sinterable ceramic products in a manner better suited to economical, large scale synthesis. In this regard, it is particularly advantageous to minimize the formation of deposits on walls of a ceramic production reactor so as to thereby minimize down-time for removing such deposits.